Of Double Chocolate Fudge Cookies and Late Night Secrets
by Blockbusterism
Summary: And now he could really see why Lacey always accused him of being wrapped around her little finger several times over. He couldn't help it. But he did have to put an end to these nightly adventures of hers.


**A/N**: Hi! It's been a minute, right!? It feels like it's been ages since I last gave Twisted more than a passing thought and that's kind of sad, considering how I was in a very different state of mind not even a year ago, but, hey, it happens, right? Lol But I finally mustered up enough motivation to write this piece for my boo Shamara, who's been requesting this for ages. So here it is and I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

Danny wrenched his eyes open, jarred awake by the light, nearly undetectable sounds of footfalls in the hallway. His heart slamming repeatedly against his ribcage, his gaze immediately fell upon the soft silhouette of the woman beside him. His eyes took note of the way her face was partially buried into the silk pillow beneath her, her hair, cut neatly into a sophisticated, shoulder-length bob, splayed around her like a halo, and her left hand, adorned with a simple, Asscher-cut diamond ring, resting passively by her face.

Danny could feel his heart beginning to slow at the peaceful sight, but suddenly began to thud painfully in his chest once again at the sound of a door creaking open and closing with a firm shut. Moving as frantically as he could without disturbing his wife who continued to sleep, he slid out of bed, crouching low and jutting out a hand to brush underneath the bed until it came in contact with the cold, metal object.

Removing the bat from its original place, Danny straightened up, sleep completely removed from his stony visage as he palmed the bat in his hands. Wasting no further time, he quickly strode out of the bedroom door and into the hallway, his frazzled nerves pointing to one room only. Wrenching open the door to said room, Danny's panicked gaze landed on the tiny bed pushed up against the opposite wall and the tiny bundle outlined underneath the thick, Princess Tiana sheets.

Danny released a long breath that he belatedly realized that he was holding, the contracting sensation in his chest finally easing away as his eyes ticked around the room. He loosened his grip on the metal bat, allowing it to land on the plush carpeting as he entered further, aimlessly checking closets and underneath the coloring table before finally concluding that the little one resting just a few feet away was safe and unharmed.

He shook his head, chuckling to himself at the absurdity of it all as he smoothed back the errant tendrils of hair that had slipped out of his ponytail holder and into his face in his hurried motions.

It seemed that old habits really did die hard.

Danny made his way over to the bed, the purple nightlight in the nearby corner casting its soft glow against the surface. He peered closely at the little girl buried underneath the sheets, her small hands clutching lightly at the stuffed panda nestled into her chest, and he finally allowed a relieved smile to appear on his once apprehensive features, the once terrifying thoughts now fading to the back of his mind like a distant memory. His large hand reached over to smooth back the thick, curly strands that were gathered into a large, high puff above her head, before smoothing his knuckles over the soft skin of her caramel chubby cheek, watching a ghost of a smile stretch her lips as her long lashes fluttered slightly at the gentle touch.

Danny's eyebrows knitted together as he leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he concentrated on the girl. He remained like that for several seconds, seemingly lost in thought before suddenly planting a quick kiss on the girl's cheek before slowly headed towards the door, grabbing the bat he left behind on the way out of the room and shutting the door behind him.

Making his way back towards his own room, he silently approached his bed and slid under the covers, fatigue finally settling in his bones.

He felt a hand brush against his chest, warming the skin underneath his simple white undershirt and he shifted his body so that he was laying on his side. He raised an eyebrow, his hand moving to rest on the curve of his wife's hip as he took in her half-lidded brown eyes peering tiredly into his own.

"Where'd you go?" Lacey whispered, her voice hoarse with remnants of sleep as she snuggled closer into his arms.

"Just checking up on Olivia," Danny replied softly, pulling her small frame closely to his and resting his chin on the top of her head as his eyes drifted shut. "Nothing to worry about."

* * *

Olivia's large brown eyes furtively glanced between her parents seated across from her at the table, immersed in light discussion as they indulged in their dinner consisting of steak, rice, and steamed vegetables doused in light soy sauce.

She looked down at her plate, the half-eaten portion of meat, the spoonful of rice, and the helping of vegetables left virtually untouched staring back at her. She pouted, pushing around the tiny pieces of broccoli, carrots, green beans and brussel sprouts with her tiny fork.

Just because Daddy said they were delicious, didn't mean that she was entirely convinced that they suited her four-year-old taste buds.

So she snuck a glance back at her parents, realizing that they were sufficiently distracted, before quickly scraping the vegetables to the edge of her plate and placing them in her left hand. She lowered her hand until it disappeared under the table as she speared a piece of the steak with the fork in her right.

Olivia suppressed a grin as she felt the telltale licks from their Pomeranian named Tinkerbell, its tongue lapping up the food in her open palm until she was sure that it was all gone.

She couldn't believe it worked!

She was pretty shocked when she'd first seen the trick on one of her shows earlier, the crackers with cheese and apple juice in front of her nearly forgotten as she watched with keen interest.

Even well after the show had finished and Daddy had taken her outside to play in the lush grass of their backyard, the trick was rooted firmly in her mind.

And as he gave her a warm bath in preparation for dinner, suds of soap tickling her tiny body as she immersed herself in the liquid, Olivia decided that she'd put the theory to the test.

In the beginning, she was pretty doubtful that it would work.

But she _really_ hated vegetables.

They were right up there with clowns, spiders, and small-tooth combs.

But now she was more than pleased with the results of her little experiment.

Now she just had to spoon the rest of it to Tinkerbell and—

"Olivia?"

"Yes Mommy?" Olivia said, startled out of her thoughts as she snapped her head upwards to look at her mother, her eyes wide with caution.

"Do you like the vegetables with the soy sauce?" her mother asked, her lips curved upward in amusement as she noticed a portion of the nutritious food was noticeably absent from her daughter's plate.

"Mmmhmm!" Olivia nodded vigorously, making sure to keep her left hand hidden underneath the table.

"It was really good, Mommy."

Her mother beamed in delight. "Aw, I'm so proud of you, baby. I guess you can have my chocolate fudge cookies toni—"

Suddenly, Tinkerbell coughed up remnants of a browned baby carrot and a piece of broccoli, the glob of saliva landing squarely on the white tiles of the dining room before the tiny dog promptly trotted out of the room.

The air was filled with thick silence as the three occupants of the room remained absolutely stiff, their eyes fixated on the mess that was beginning to congeal on the ceramic surface.

Olivia, being the first to recover, swallowed thickly, her wide eyes ticking back and forth between the two adults whose eyes were still glued to the floor as they struggled to piece together the scene that had just unfolded before them.

She didn't expect this to happen!

That's not what happened on the TV!

It was all a lie!

"Olivia…"

Olivia reluctantly peeked up at her mother and her eyes immediately filled with unshed tears at the sight of sheer disappointment on the woman's face. She watched with an increasingly blurry vision as her mother sadly shook her head.

"I guess there won't be any dessert for you tonight," her mother said with a deep sigh.

"B-but Mommy—," Olivia stammered, her large brown eyes swimming in tears.

"Your Daddy's eyes aren't going to get you out of trouble this time, young lady," Lacey said sternly, ignoring the light scoff of protest from Danny beside her. "Finish your food so that you can go brush your teeth and go to bed."

Olivia chanced a look at her father, who eventually regarded her with an unfamiliar expression that didn't seem neither happy nor sad. There was no accurate descriptor in her mind that she could label it as so she ducked her head, blinking back the tears as she shoved the remaining portions of the steak and rice in her mouth.

Once again, it seemed that she would have to resort to plan B tonight.

* * *

For four days, this continued.

The light pitter patter of footsteps in the hallway.

The "sleeping" that she did when he checked in on her shortly afterwards.

Danny was now well aware of the little nightly escapades to the kitchen that his daughter would partake in.

But he was still blown away by the meticulousness of it all.

Olivia was unflinchingly consistent, with the timing of her departure from her room remaining the same at approximately ten minutes past midnight, with only infinitesimal differences in each time.

She had even taken it upon herself to wipe her hands clean and leave virtually no trace of her presence in the kitchen when she was done.

Their little girl was intelligent beyond her years, that he was absolutely sure of.

But one night she made a slight mistake.

Because the light cookie crumbs that peppered the kitchen counter were still present when he woke up the next morning and entered the kitchen to begin his usual ritual of making coffee for Lacey and English tea for himself before officially beginning the day.

But he pretended that he didn't notice and wiped the counter so that there wasn't a crumb in sight.

Nor did he tell anyone of his "discovery."

Tonight, however, he was going to catch her in the act.

So he waited.

Making sure that Lacey was fast asleep and that he appeared to be asleep as well.

And then he heard the familiar footfalls passing their bedroom door before slowly bounding down the stairs one careful step at a time.

Danny silently counted to ten before he gently pushed the door open, his eyes immediately adjusting to the darkness as he silently made his way down the stairs. Approaching the entryway to the kitchen, Danny leaned against the wall and poked his head into the entrance, peeking into the now brightly lit kitchen.

Olivia had managed to push one chair from the dining room and brace it against the counter, allowing her to climb up and reach the treasured jar of chocolate fudge cookies Lacey hid high up one of the cupboards.

Danny watched with fascination as Olivia plucked the jar from its place and slowly crouched down on the counter, setting down the thick container on the counter before plopping right next to it. She popped open the jar with ease before sticking a tiny hand and retrieving a soft cookie, immediately bringing the treat to her lips to take a large bite, her eyes closing in sweet bliss as the delicious blend of chocolate and fudge melted on her tongue, her legs clad in thick bunny pajamas swinging back and forth in happiness.

Danny stifled a smile at the sight, knowing full well that she was in for a rude awakening within the next several seconds.

He waited until she polished off the first cookie and was in the process of taking another until he stepped into her line of sight.

"Are you sure you don't want any milk with that?" Danny asked lightly, struggling to keep a straight face at the look of pure astonishment that flashed across his daughter's face as she jerked in her spot and nearly knocking over the jar in the process.

Quickly recovering from her shock, Olivia tried to scramble up to place the jar back in its rightful place but she clearly underestimated her father's speed and she found herself fearfully looking up at her father's looming figure, the palm of his hand placed squarely on the container, making it impossible for her to move.

Figuring he'd probably scared the child enough, Danny let his face melt into a warm expression, a soft smile gracing his lips as he asked, "Can I have some, too?"

Ten minutes and eight delicious cookies later, Danny and Olivia sat side by side at the kitchen island, their stomachs filled with the chocolaty treat and cold milk. Danny looked over at Olivia, who was happily nibbling on her last cookie, the kiddie cup in front of her now completely empty. He laughed as he noticed a splotch of fudge that decorated the bridge of her nose.

"Why are you laughing, Daddy?" Olivia asked with mouth full as she stared up at her father in curiosity.

"You have a little chocolate there…" Danny replied, pointing one errant index finger at her chin, watching in sheer amusement as Olivia brushed her hand against the spot and found nothing.

"Ah, I'm sorry. It's this cheek," Danny said, moving his finger with a confused Olivia following his movements as he continued to point at every other area, his grin enlarging with every passing second as he continued to mislead her.

"Daddy~" Olivia whined with a firm pout. "Stop tricking me!"

Danny laughed wholeheartedly at Olivia's expression before he finally retrieved a napkin from a nearby paper roll and gently dabbed away at the spot until the chocolate was gone. His laughs eventually tapered off and he glanced at the clock at the far wall.

"Well, we're going to have to go back to bed, buttercup," Danny said just as Olivia was yawning, her eyelids beginning to droop with sleep.

"Okay," Olivia mumbled, remaining in her seat as Danny placed the jar back in its rightful place and tidied up the counters, effectively erasing all trace of their impromptu snack time.

Seeing as Olivia was a moment away from falling asleep right where she sat, Danny scooped her up in his arms, her head immediately pillowing on one firm shoulder as they both exited the kitchen and bounded up the stairs as quietly as they could.

Danny set Olivia down on her bed before pulling her covers up to her chin and handing her her stuffed panda as she stared up at him with a sleepy smile.

Danny felt a surge of love and adoration in his chest for the little girl before him.

Never mind the fact that she nearly gave him a heart attack and repeatedly snuck behind his and Lacey's backs to indulge in the forbidden treats.

Never mind the fact that the reason why she was denied the cookies was because she stubbornly refused to eat her vegetables in the place.

There was not a slightest chance he'd discipline her for any of it.

And now he could _really_ see why Lacey always accused him of being wrapped around her little finger several times over.

He couldn't help it.

But he did have to put an end to these nightly adventures of hers.

So Danny silently offered up his pinky finger, watching as she instinctively wrapped her tiny pinky around his. "I won't tell Mommy if you won't sneak out your room for cookies after bedtime anymore. Deal?"

"Deal," Olivia whispered with a happy nod before promptly burrowing herself deeper underneath the covers. "G'night, Daddy."

"G'night, buttercup," Danny whispered, planting a soft kiss to her cheek before raising himself up from the bed and heading out of the room, though not before briefing one last glance at her now sleeping figure.

Finally reaching his own bedroom, Danny slipped under his covers as quietly as he could, immediately reaching over to draw Lacey in his arms. He smiled tiredly as he felt her curl into his arms.

Just as he was beginning to fall into a deep slumber, he heard Lacey mumble, "You smell like cookies."

Before he could sputter out a reply, Danny realized that Lacey had gone right back to sleep and he could only stifle a laugh as he hugged her even closer, kissing the crown of her head before burying his face in her hair.

His and Olivia's secret was safe.

* * *

**A/N**: A~nd that's it! Thanks for reading! 3


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